Monday, January 7, 2013

New Year, Hello! (And the Next Big Thing)

All I've been reading lately are New Year's Resolutions. I feel a little guilty that I haven't publicly made any. I'll go for inclusiveness and say that I will make an effort to be a better human. Seems like a tall order for a New Year's Resolution, but I figure if I ask myself, "Will your response/action/thought contribute some goodness to other humans?" and proceed from there, it could be a worthwhile resolution.

I've been knee deep in another libretto, folks! This talented young composer was commissioned an opera in London, and he asked me to write the libretto, which I have recently delivered. I've been having a swell time--just bowled over by the joy that comes with writing lyrics. That doesn't mean it was without its challenges. Writing rhyming lyrics is hard, folks. Half the time, I was worrying about whether my lines were devolving into Mother Goose. But I'm enthusiastic about this opera, based on the tragic and fascinating life of Evariste Galois. I can't wait to hear the music. I might go mad with excitement when the production date draws nigh.

I've been kindly blog-tagged by a dear friend and writer, Gregory Allen, so I'd better jump on this now before another month flies by. Here's the gist of "The Next Big Thing," copied from Greg's site:

"Blog hops are a
great way for people to find new authors. Perhaps read a genre they haven't
thought of before. The Next Big Thing is an around-the-world
blog hop where authors of all genres tell readers about their next/recent book
release in the course of answering 10 questions. Each author has been
tagged by another author to write a blog, and the current author then tags new
authors who blog the following week."

I've mentioned Greg's children's book, Chicken Boy, on my website before. He's written books for adults, too, all of which can be found here for your purchasing pleasure. Greg is simply an amazing person, and it's been an honor to know him. (Forgive my sentimental gushiness.)

I'll try to answer these questions to my work in progress, which is actually in revisions now.

Begin fancy font.

1) What is the working title of
your next book?

I have a
few completed manuscripts, but for today, I’ll talk about Invisible, a
novel for Young Adults about a girl who turns…you guessed it.

2) Where did the idea come from for
the book?

Down here in North Texas, there’s
been a fracas about the fracking of
the Barnett Shale. (Did you see what I did there?) It’s caused some minor
earthquakes, and there are rumors that natural gas is seeping up into houses
and other scary places. I imagine, “What the frack?” is going to take over the
“wtf” phrase soon. I wondered what other scary gases could be inadvertently
unleashed, and what would happen if a previously unknown gas were jostled loose
in an unprecedented earthquake in North Texas. And voila, my characters become invisible—and not the convenient kind
of invisible. No floating through walls and doors in this story.

3) What genre does your book fall
under?

This is Young Adult science fiction
with a twist of government conspiracy and a dash of first love.

4) What actors would you choose to
play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

I’m finding it difficult to imagine
how this kind of plot could be adapted into a film. That would be one heck of a
3D film challenge, wouldn’t it? James Franco could appear in any adaptation of
a book (it doesn’t even have to be mine), and I’d go see it.

5) What is the one-sentence
synopsis of your book?

After an earthquake destroys
Jordan’s hometown, she and her family wake up invisible, and must hide from the
military pursuing them.

6) Will your book be self-published
or represented by an agency?

This book is represented by my
agent. Check her out.

7) How long did it take you to
write the first draft of the manuscript?

I wrote this book over one summer.
But I’m still tweaking. Tweaking, tweaking.

8) What other books would you
compare this story to within your genre?

Life as We Knew It for older
teens.

9) Who or what inspired you to
write this book?

I wanted to write something
fantastical, but also include a love story that would be different from
anything I’d ever read, but would have loved to read when I was a teenager.
This is it.

10) What else about the book might
pique the reader's interest?

It’s about earthquakes! Invisible
people! Family going all to pieces! First love! Kissing! (While invisible!) Annoying
siblings! Almost dying! What more could one want?

Here are a few other authors I
think you should check out. All of them are wonderful. Follow them!